May 27thCuba, A&K P2P, Post #7

I don’t have a picture of breakfast on day 7, but as you can imagine, it was delicious.  After breakfast, we went downstairs to a conference room for a presentation and Q&A with a local physician.  One of our fellow travelers asked about the motivation to become a doctor.  In Cuba, doctors do get paid more than unskilled laborers, but the difference is not substantial.  So why would someone work so hard in school to enjoy pay essentially equal to those who did not.  The answer was twofold.  First, many find medicine to be a calling, and its what they love to do.  Also, its the family business for many, and they come from a long line of doctors.  Second, many are banking on the embargo lifting, at which time, they expect Cuba to become a huge destination for medical tourism.  Another factor that may be a motivation is that due to Cuba’s oil for doctors agreement with Venezuela, medicine creates an opportunity for travel that most Cubans do not have.  After the presentation, we headed into the suburbs of Havana to hospital, the next tier up from the local community doctor in Cuba’s healthcare system.

The hospital was an interesting visit.  Since they don’t have the privacy laws we do, we basically were led around the hospital while consultations and treatments were going on.  We got to see checkups, physical therapy, etc.  This particular hospital seemed pretty modern.  My mom had been to Cuba previously with a medical conference, and she got to see many hospitals like this, so I guess they’re not uncommon.

After the hospital, we visited a daycare center.  The center is for children who’s parents struggle with addiction, are imprisoned, etc.  It was very much like a daycare center in the US, movies, crafts, snack time, nap time.  The highlight for me was one of the kids who performed a fairly long and intricate Michael Jackson routine.  We left some gifts and headed to lunch.

The meal at Divino was quite good, but the dessert was outstanding.  The ice cream tasted like it was 50% fruit, and 50% ice cream.  I’m not sure if I liked the coconut or pineapple better.  The restaurant was owned by a couple.  The Husband is Italian, and the wife Cuban.  They had a large collection of Cuban nicknacks in their wine cellar.

After a great meal, and a fun look around in the cellar, we snapped a few pictures of some cars outside, and headed to Finca La Vigia, Ernest Hemingway’s home in Cuba were he wrote The Old Man and the Sea, and For Whom the Bell Tolls.  The house is also featured in Island’s in the Stream.

I’m a huge Hemingway fan, so I loved this stop.  As a hunter, traveler, avid reader, and on rare occasion, fisherman, I was drinking it all in.  The house was fairly minimalist, despite being decorated with bullfighting posters, taxidermy, and book and magazines.  It was clearly decorated and setup for a purpose.  The decorations would remind Hemingway of his travels and happy times, while the furnishings were clearly for work.  Literature and booze were everywhere, and there was very little else that could be considered a distraction.  I’ve been to Malaga and Rhonda, Kenya and Tanzania, and I loved the Finca.  The interior decorator on our trip asked if I was taking notes, and I definitely was.  I wouldn’t want my primary residence too influenced by Finca La Vigia, but for a hunting lodge, etc, it would be perfect.  The tower you see above was built by his wife for him to write in, but he hated it.  The boat is the Pilar which he used to hunt uboats during WWII.  The cemetery was for his dogs, which was interesting as he was more of a cat person.  The pool is where Hemingways wife, and on occasion, Ava Gardner often skinny dipped.  I’m about 60% through Island’s in the Stream, and Hemingway, and a beauty from the USO are in route to Finca La Vigia, so perhaps the pool will be in the book.

After Hemingway’s house, we went back to the hotel, and had some free time.  My wife was feeling tired from the trip, and her pregnancy, so she took a nap.  I headed down to the beach and found a hammock.  After relaxing, we headed to dinner.

We had an amazing dinner.  After dinner (and dessert), I was surprised with a birthday cake.  What a way to celebrate your 30th.  Despite being quite full, I ate a fair amount of cake as it was tres leches, and quite delectable.  One couple on the trip had heard about the show at the Tropicana.  Its a 50s style revue show with a lot of the original choreography from its heyday.  We were offered cigars as we walked in, and given bottle service at the tables.  The show was incredible.

The show was great.  The cigars and drinks too.  Most of our group took cigars, and since they did not smoke them, gave them to me, which meant I had way too many cigars for how many days we had left.  I got to dance with a showgirl.  The whole experience was unforgettable.  This was not part of our itinerary, but what a show.  We all had a great time, were exhausted, and pretty sleepy on the short ride home.  I kept wonder how the next day could possibly live up to the previous.  Cuba never failed to delight us.